Just over two years ago, I attended the launch party for Dixque d’art, Souldia’s tenth career album. The connection between the rapper and his audience, and his explosive energy, left a deep impression on me. There’s no doubt about it, the Limoilou heavyweight is a key figure on the keb rap scene, and when he releases new material, we’re all ears.
On October 25, the (very) prolific Souldia released Nouvelle vie, his twelfth full-length. As the title suggests, the 39-year-old artist is exploring new musical avenues. État sauvage, an excellent house track midway through the project, perfectly symbolizes the state of mind behind this new offering. Ceci n’est pas une chanson triste, a ballad in tribute to his mother, is another result of this creative process.
In addition to Loud, the rapper counts on the contribution of four other collaborators, including GreenWoodz, a young artist on the rise at Disques 7ième Ciel. The latter’s contribution gave life to the interesting Inside, a rock-influenced song directly inspired by Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit .
As usual, Souldia’s lyrics are her main strength, although the subjects are sometimes redundant. The lyrics are raw and the rhymes hard-hitting, aka his trademark. Crise existentielle, the opening track on Nouvelle vie, features Kevin St-Laurent more aggressive than ever.
If you haven’t yet been charmed by Souldia’s music, Nouvelle vie is the ideal album to discover his universe. As on his previous opuses, he offers a good balance between rap and pop. For the purists out there, rest assured that Souldia in no way denies the recipe that brought him to the top. First-time fans will certainly be pleased with La nuit sera longue avec Loud and BPM, two tracks that are, in my humble opinion, the most accomplished on Nouvelle vie.
